Eating fewer calories can ward off ageing

Eating fewer calories can ward off ageing


Sign up for free here to receive this newsletter in your inbox every Saturday. You’ll also get our weekly newsletter with an exclusive introduction from our editor-in-chief.?


“I’m on a seafood diet,” goes an old joke. “I see food, and I eat it.” And that’s the problem. Evolution has equipped people (me included) with an instinct to stock up, nutritionwise, whenever possible—because you never know when your next meal will come along. Free-market capitalism, meanwhile, ensures it always does come along, in whatever quantity your appetite desires.

Everyone knows deep down that piling on the kilos is life-shortening. What they may not realise is that the converse—not just eating “sensibly”, but fasting almost to the point of starvation—has an opposite effect. It extends animal lifespans (probably including human ones) way beyond the normal.

That knowledge has provoked its own capitalistic response to satisfy would-be centenarians, especially as certain drugs and supplements seem to short-circuit, biochemically, the need for self-starvation. Whether this means you truly can have your cake and eat it remains to be seen.

Geoffrey Carr, Senior editor, science and technology


Editor’s picks

Eating fewer calories can ward off ageing

And various existing medicines may offer similar benefits

How to eat to 100

Dan Buettner’s book explores America’s healthiest cuisines

Confronting the dangers of ultra-processed food

A cocktail of additives and preservatives poses a risk to people’s health

How food affects the mind, as well as the body

It turns out you are what you eat after all

Weight-loss drugs are no match for the might of big food

The world is as addicted to fattening foods as it is to fossil fuels

What if everyone’s nutrition was personalised?

How the mass adoption of personalised nutrition is changing people’s health—and the food industry. An imagined scenario from 2035

Why everyone should eat more ugly seafood

In praise of the monstrous, abundant and delicious monkfish


Enjoyed this newsletter?

Read three free articles each month on Economist.comregister for free. If you are not a subscriber, enjoy full access by subscribing here.

Ehime Enahoro MBA MSc

Strategy | Digital Transformation | Finance | Board Member

11 个月

There is a very strong link between food consumption and mental health which is often ignored. Certain foods contain protein which helps improve and support mental health. These foods which are rich in protein do have chemicals such as amino acids. Amino acids is used by the brain to produce substances called neurotransmitters (this improves brain function and allows neurons to communicate with each other throughout the body). With a good balance, these help to regulate thoughts and feelings hence helps reduce occurrence or symptoms of depression and anxiety. So consuming food wisely contributes to a stable mind which you need for work, business and every other function of life.

回复
Anirudh P

Senior Content Specialist at Flatworld Solutions

12 个月

Looks like I am going to age really fast.......

回复
Sena Arslan

PhD | Multidisciplinary

1 年

Discovering the powers of ancient techniques that were used by the sages, prophets, gurus… Amazing. 21st century man is a blind creature. Blind to the past, and because of that, to the future. Et voila.

回复
Njunga Hehu

investment consultanct

1 年

I believe the issue of diet, food &eating habits are avoidable if one have self displine and conscious of one's health. UPF fantasies of satisfying a desire or an urge to a lifestyle which one crave for is rampant with a false social standing just like the cigarettes' were in 1960&70s so is the mass attraction to this UPF(utra-processed foods).As media 'HYPE' plays it's part Governments, food processors ,&fast food ventures 'MUST' take a stand to contains or control the consumption despite revenue loss risks as insurance companies hike premium for UPF takers.This will protect the client who will be healthy to work, spend, save and invest lowering budgets on HEALTH. Novadisk is making money out of one of it's products that is now being used for weight loss instead of diabetes treatment as Viagra has found ready clientele for erection dysfunction. Both obesity & erectile dysfunction disorder are found to emanate from UPF and the remedy from those drugs are a side effect,So will Novadisk & pfizer so no to those revenues stream, i guess no Effects of UPF consumption; Obesity 66% Cardiovascular disease 50% Dibatetes2 12% Mental disorder53% Depression 22% Death by any other cause 21% BUT ALSO LINKED TO ASHMA & CANCER

FRANCIS J. DUQUE

Advisory Board Member | creative dolphin

1 年

Probably the best is the traditional Japanese diet or “Washoku” 和食, which means food in harmony.

  • 该图片无替代文字
回复

要查看或添加评论,请登录

The Economist的更多文章

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了